Cinematographic camera



July 5, 1949. A. c. COUTANT ET AL CINEMATOGRAPHIC CAMERA 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 13, 1947 Andre [/emem (b July 5, 1949. A. c. COUTANT ETAL.

CINEMATOGRAPHIG CAMERA I Filed Nov. 13, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 in N 15' Affpr/vey July 5, 1949. A. c. COUTANT ET AL ,9

C INEMATOGRAPHI C CAMERA Filed Nov. 13, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 y 1949- A. c. COUTANT ETAL 2,474,972

CINEMATOGRAPHIC -CAMERA Filed Nov. 15, 1947 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented July 5, 1949 2,474,972 CINEMATOGRAPHIC CAMERA Andr Clment Coutant and Jacques Mathot, Paris, France Application November 13, 1947, Serial No. 785,617 In France November 27, 1946 1 Claim.

A copending application filed on December 2'7, 1946, Serial No. 718,742, which is a continuation in part of application filed May 19, 1945, Serial No. 617,429 has for its object improvements in cinematographic cameras which consist notably in providing the same with a detachable lighttight loading box which contains the reels and the feed sprocket roller and whose front face constitutes the rear wall of the gate through which the straight portion of the film is fed in front of the shooting window, the other wall of said gate being constituted by the rear face of the camera itself.

The film which unwinds from the payoff reel runs over the feed sprocket roller, forms a loop, comes out of the loading box through a slit provided for that purpose, passes to the outside of the loading box in contact with the rear face of the gate before the pressing member, enters the loading bow through an additiona1 slit, forms a loop, runs over the feed sprocket roller and is wound on the take-up reel; removable fingers are provided to close the slits as long as the loading box is not attached to the camera proper; lighttight seals provided for that purpose at the front of the loading box and the rear of the camera provide for light-tightness as soon as the connection is completed and the shutters will then retract to give free passage to the film through the slits considered.

The present invention has for its object improvements in apparatus thus designed and more particularly in the loading boxes for the same.

Thus, according to a first feature of the invention, the movable shutters are constituted by upward and downward extensions of the pressing member; they provide for light-tightness as long as the loading box is disconnected and retract to give a free passage to the film through the slits as soon as the loading box is secured to the camera and the pressing member is yieldingly pushed backwards by the rear face of the camera that constitutes the front wall of the gate. The result is a much simpler design and a substantial decrease in the number of parts constituting the camera.

According to another feature of the invention, removable fingers are provided b means of which the cameraman can stretch the film between the feed sprocket roller and the film outlet slit on one hand and between the film inlet slit and the film feed sprocket roller on the other hand. Said fingers are arranged to retract automatically as soon as the loading box is attached to the camera, in such manner that those portions of the film that were run thereabout will henceforth constitute loops having the desired size. Owing to this arrangement it becomes easier for the cameraman to reload his loading box, even in a completely dark room, while he is certain that the loops necessary for good operation will always and automatically be obtained.

An embodiment of the present invention in the case of a camera intended to be mounted in an airplane wing and comprising a loading box or magazine to be fitted on the inside of the camera is illustrated by way of example in the appended drawing; in this particular type of apparatus, in order to facilitate the replacement of the loading box, same is removed and a new one is set in position by a sliding upward or downward motion at right angles to the optical axis of the camera.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the load box or magazine assumed to be in position in the camera and ready for use, the front side of the camera being assumed to be at the left of the figure.

Figure 2 is an elevational side view of the same loading box in its operative position, the front side of the camera being supposed to be at the right of the figure.

Figures 3 and 4 respectively correspond to Figs. 1 and 2, the loading box however being supposed to be removed from the camera.

Figure 5 is aview of the front face of the loading box.

Figures 6 and 7 are enlarged side and front views respectively of the presser support performing the function of a light-tight shutter.

The presser l is yieldingly mounted with the aid of a pair of cylindrical supports 4 provided with springs 5 that slide in a pair of sleeves 6 secured to the member 2 rigid with the plate 3 on which the feed sprocket rollers 23, 23' are mounted; said plate 3 in turn is secured by means of screws to the wall of the loading box,

The presser I is secured on a plate ll] whose side edges 1 and the upper and lower extensions ll, H which are suitably curved, are yieldingly pressed by springs 5 against the inner frame of the window 8 provided in the front face l3 of the loading box through which emerges the presser I.

In the released condtion of the springs 5 the presser l projects to the outside of the front face H of the loading box and the film 9 is closely pressed between the curved extensions H, H of the presser-carrying plate I!) and the corresponding curved surfaces l2, I2 01 the inner wall of the front face of the loading box. Consequently,

no light ray can then enter the loading box t 'ough the slits through which the film sections are led out of and into the loading box which are thus obtained by the curved extensions H and ll. At the same time the side edges 1 of the plate ID are pressed against the inner wall of the front face of the loading box, at the right and the left of the window 8, and provide "for light-tightness in the lateral direction.

If in contrast thereto the springs are stressed due to the backward movement of the presser I urged by the pressure exerted thereupon by the wall M of the camera, such retraction of the presser being made possible bythe rotation "of the latch I 5 whose outer arm 25 is swung as the loading box is set in position inrthecamera as will be explained later on, at that moment'the flat levers I6 and I6 swingably mounted on pivots l7 and I1 and provided with fingers whose pro- J'ections are visible at 18 and -18 in the figures. Said levers can assume two positions: i shown in Fig. 3 which they will assume automatically when the loading box is removed from the camera and the one shown in Fig. 1 which is the shooting position and which is obtained likewise automatically as the loading box is set in position on the camera.

The first of said positions (Fig. 3) is used for replacing the reels of the loading box. The film 9 fed from the pay-off reel 2| runs over the feed sprocket roller 23 and thence about the finger l8 to enter the slit of the light-tight joint l-l-'l-2. It then passes in front of the presser I, then through the joint H' l2', round the finger 18, then runs about the feed sprocket roller 23 and is finally led to the take-up reel 22.

The second of said positions (Fig. 1) is the shooting position; the levers have rocked, the

Automatism in the motion of the levers I6 and l 6 is obtained by means of small outer arms l9, I9 which are rocked by the action of stops arloading box is set in position. Small return springs (not shown) bring said levers back into the position shown in Fig. 3 as the loading box is removed.

In order to prevent the danger of tearing the front side of the film which might result from its contact with the edge 20 of the wall H of the camera (Fig. 3) as the loading box is sl'idden downwardly into the camera a pair of guides 24 and 24' are provided which have a suitable outline. Said tion move t guides at the beginning of the operahe loading box away from said wall I! and then allow it to come close to it again at the operation.

Figs. 2to 4also' enableto'understand the automatic operation of the latch l5 which in the posi- *tion shown in Fig. 3 prevents the presser I from moving ackwards into the loading box whereas it allows it to do so in the position shown in Fig. 1. Astoparrange'don the inner wall of the camera when the loading box said small lever downwards when the loading box is "removed.

Various modifications may be made in this arrangement.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure byLe'tters Patent is:

A detachable light-tight loading box for cine- JA CQU ES MA TH O'T.

REFERENCES "CIT-ED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Germany Mar. 31, 1939 

